TOPIC: Good price on booth equipment?

I am new to this forum and have found it very helpful. This is my first post so please bear with me.

Our local theater which was originally a Jerry Lewis Cinema had closed back in 2006. Last month they demolished the building (for no good reason other than a few falling ceiling tiles in the lobby) but before they did they had removed the booth equipment. I use to run this theater back in the 80s and was familiar with the theater business back then. I use to book my own films and run the whole show. I had always wanted to own a theater since I was in elementary school 33 years ago.

Anyway, after they demolished the cinema I just happened to find the person who was local that purchased the equipment. He is wanting to sell it so I checked it out and it is the same equipment that was there when I ran the place 20 years ago. He said they had tested everything before the disassembled and remove the stuff and everything worked good. He is asking $4500 for everything which includes two Simplex 35 projectors with consoles and two platter systems that are in great shape. I do not know the make or model number of the platters and consoles. He also is including the screen and screen frame that came out of a 350 seat house.

We are wanting to buy but would like your opinion here.

Also, is it wise to purchase film equipment now? I am seeing people on here talking about digital. Will film be around for sometime yet? I hope so since I would consider myself a film guy instead of digital.

A good working Simplex projector only from a dealer would cost you that $4500.

I just bought used equipment recently. IMHO, if the stuff works after I hook it up, I got a great deal. If some of it works and the rest does not, then in the end I should save a little bit from what I would have paid a dealer.

I was hoping it would be a good buy. I have never dealt in used cinema equipment before.

Now the second part of my question is what really concerns me and would be what helps me decide if I should purchase it or not.

If I was to purchase this equipment I would have to put it in storage until we move onto getting a location to either build or convert an exsisting building. This may be a year or two before this happens. If we were to get a location and open a cinema in our town, would film still be going strong or would I be getting into something that may be obsolete when that time comes.

I guess what it boils down to is I hate to buy this stuff and by the time we are ready to use it, find out that we aren't able to run film since they are pushing the digital format.

I have read the other posts here but I can't find any that suggests how long film will be around. I have been doing a lot of reading on the internet and have found different articles on the subject. Some say that by 2013 half of the theaters will be converted. Some others are stating that it would be sooner than that.

I was excited about getting this equipment but now after reading about the digital stuff I have some doubts and hope I am not getting into somethng that won't be of any use in a few years.

I would not buy any used euipment without hiring a good qualified cinema technician who is independant of the dealer who is selling this equipment to go through it all and check it all out. It may cost you a few hundred bucks for this but it could potentially save you thousands of dollars if this equipment is not in the great shape it is advertised to be.

I cannot comment on the price without knowing the make and model of the Platter systems, and Lamp House consoles. What about sound equipment, the make up table for the platters, house light dimmers, lenses and automation systems? Most of the major chains are just throwing out thier 35mm projection equipment in the dumpster when they close a theatre or upgrade it to DLP. You might be able to get a better deal on more, and newer equipment by finding a chain theatre that is closing or upgrading to all DLP and contacting thier corporate office and offering to hire a tech to come in and remove all of the 35mm equipment (they will probably keep the sound equipment depending on what it is). This way you will also know that it was all removed properly so that it will be easy to be re-installed when that time comes. If you need help finding a good tech shoot me an email letting me know wher eyou are and I will probably be able to point you in the right direction!

my biggest concern with film is while it will be some time for it to become obsolete that doesn't neccessarily translate into being able to get a film like you used to. My concern is during the transition when over fifty percent of the screens have gone digital will you be able to get a print like you used to or will the studios pull back drastically on making prints? Everything I have seen from the studios suggests that they will pull back and pull back strong. Where does that leave you?

Yesterday after I received the letter from CBG, I called my cinema supplier and asked a few questions. My understanding from that conversation is that we have at least two years and possibly three years until the floor may start to fall out from under us. Of course, no one has the crystal skull, oh, I mean crystal ball, that tells us for sure what is going to happen and when.

Not a problem if you want to be a second run theater.
What if studios decide to make certain prints available only in digital? It's been 20 years since I had been in the business but don't you have some studios making certain stipulations with their products now? What if they have a block buster that they feel is only best viewed in digital and therefore only available in digital format?

Problem is: you could install that stuff and be running in 30 days for 4500.00 plus whatever else you need. Digital? +/- add 50,000.00 and it's not for a few years at least. 4500.00 is cheap to run for a few years. Plus: there will still be 35mm around and you'll want both for a good long while.
Michael Hurley
Impresario

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike:
<B>Problem is: you could install that stuff and be running in 30 days for 4500.00 plus whatever else you need. Digital? +/- add 50,000.00 and it's not for a few years at least. 4500.00 is cheap to run for a few years. Plus: there will still be 35mm around and you'll want both for a good long while.

</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That is if I was to have it up and running here soon. What I was going to do is put it in storage until we are ready which probably won't be for at least a year or maybe two. That is why I was wondering if it would be worth it. If I was to open one up this year then I could see it but it sounds like a guessing game right now of what it would be in two years.

I know nobody really can tell what will happen within the next few years. That is why I thought I would try picking some brains here and try to make a judgment then a decision to get the equipment or not. I am suppose to go look at the stuff again this weekend before I tell the owner yes or no. I did ask him the same question about the digital transition and he did tell me that he did not know how long this stuff will be usable. At least he was honest and didn't tell me something I wanted to here so I would go ahead and make the purchase.

Good luck with your decision-making. I think that there is lots of opinions floating around and very little hard facts with regard to when a transition will begin for the majority of the independent theaters. I know if I were in your shoes I would hold off and wait until the rollout begins in earnest. At that point there will be lots of used equipment to choose from in varying degrees of quality and it should all be pretty cheap. You'll also know much more about when you'll need what kind of equipment. It just doesn't seem like the time to buy film equipment unless you plan to use it right away. But hey, that's just one guy's opinion.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by leeler:
<B>good luck with your decision-making. I think you're right and that there is lots of opinions floating around and very little hard facts with regard to when. I think if I were in your shoes I would hold off and wait until the rollout begins in earnest. At that point there will be lots of used equipment to choose from in varying degrees of quality and it should all be pretty cheap. You'll also know alot more about when you'll need what kind of equipment and when. It just doesn't seem like the time to buy film equipment unless you plan to use it right away. But hey, that's just one guy's opinion.

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I appreciate your opinion. That is why I had joined this forum to get advice and insight on the business today. As I had mentioned before I use to be in the business from 1987 to 1990. The last movie I had ever played was "Ghost" in 1990 when I worked for UA Theaters. Before that I ran our hometown Cinema which they had just demolished and this equipment was what I worked with back then. The projectors are original from the day the place opened as a Jerry Lewis Cinema in 1972.

I may just purchase the projectors even if it is for sentimental reasons. The owners of the equipment will break up the package. The projectors with screen and consoles along with a bunch of miscellaneous cinema items for $2000. Both platters by themselves for $2500.

I may just take my chances and offer them $3000 for everything and let them sit on it for a while. If they sell it to someone else for $4500 then I have nothing to worry about. If not, they will call me.

Thanks to everyone here for your insight. It is very much appreciated.